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Tag Archives: Electric

I’ve been saying it for years: vinyl is the way to go and Millennials are finally catching on! Best Buy announced this week that its stores will stop selling CDs (compact discs) altogether this July 1. Meanwhile vinyl sales have been steadily rising over the last few years, becoming, once again, a high-demand item for music retailers who have been struggling to compete with digital streaming services and music downloaded from the Internet. According to The Guardian, vinyl sales saw a 53% increase between 2015 and 2016, the highest sales numbers for vinyl since 1991. Although vinyls have always been kept around by independent retailers like Half Price Books and local stores like Cheapo Records and Electric Fetus here in Minneapolis, retailers like Best Buy and Target have caught up with the trend. As some begin to drop CD sales, none seem to have any plans to stop selling vinyl. Continue reading →

On September 6, 1967, a documentary titled Don’t Look Back opened at an old ramshackle theater in San Francisco. It was hard to imagine why this old pornographic movie theater had a line of people extending out the door and around the corner, but once you found out it was about Bob Dylan, it was no surprise at all. The September 6th release was the first large-scale screening of the film that documented Bob Dylan and company’s whirlwind 1965 European tour. Joining him on tour were the likes of artists like Joan Baez, Donovan, and Allen Ginsberg, along with the standard parade of press, crew, police, fans, and everything else that came to epitomize Rock n’ Roll in the 1960s.

Bob Dylan, in particular, was an iconic figure in his own right. He had risen to fame in the early-60’s folk scene in New York City’s Greenwich Village, developing his own songwriting skills and capturing fans around the world with songs like Blowin’ in the Wind, A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, and The Times They Are A-Changin,’ his so-called early “protest era” catalogue. Continue reading →

Opening in theaters today is a new post-apocalyptic drama from director Craig Zobel (Great World of Sound, Compliance) titled Z For Zachariah. The film comes from an adaptation of Robert C. O’Brien‘s 1975 novel of the same name by screenwriter Nissar Modi (Breaking at the Edge) about a trio of survivors living in a post World War III environment who find themselves entwined in an intense love-triangle as the only known survivors of the nuclear fallout. Making up the three-member cast line-up is Oscar-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (American Gangster, 12 Years A Slave), and actors Chris Pine (Unstoppable, Star Trek: Into Darkness), and Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, Focus). Continue reading →

I’m a fan of the rings especially when it comes to this car….or supercar, rather. The 2016 Audi R8 is the second generation R8 and is also the basis for the GT3 race-car. Compared to its predecessor, the new R8 sheds around 110 lbs. and is a half second quicker in the 60. At 205 mph this R8 is the fastest Audi ever made for the streets. Stuffed to the gills, or side vents, with top of the line features like carbon-ceramic brake discs, custom stitched headliner, and in-car Wi-Fi, Audi looks to deliver the luxury it has been known for, as well as giving the prancing horses and raging bulls a run for their money. The car also comes with some eco-friendly features but I doubt those would be used very often. Speaking of eco-friendly, you can also special order the R8 “e-tron” which has more electric power than the Tesla Model S at 92 kWh. This will give the e-tron a range of 279 miles and can be charged in two hours. The e-tron is a bit slower than the R8 and has it’s speed limited to 155 mph. As the previous model R8 showed, there will probably be a V-8, and V-10 models ranging from $120k to $250k for the e-tron. Go cash in those refund checks quick.

This bike itself is a very interesting concept and offers a very unique look at what is to come. At a high price of $3000, not many would be willing to afford it. On another note, this is only the begging, and the bicycle certainly does have a lot to offer. With LED lights on the front and back, turn signals, built in locks, electric petals, and handy baskets — it really does have everything you could ask for and more. Keep a close watch as more of these bikes start so surface in the later parts of 2014.

Looking to get a fresh new ride that resembles a retro styled bike? Well, you are in luck. OTO Cycles out of Barcelona have developed a new retro styled electric bicycle, the OtoK, which reaches speeds up to 40mph! The hand crafted bike features a 250w motor, LCD display and a nice leather seat. There are a few other models available with a variety colors to go with them. Although, these are pretty cool, I don’t see myself owning one anytime soon.

‘The absolutely visually stunning roadster built complete with an electric drive-train is the latest car from BMW’s MINI. The MINI Superleggera Vision is built after the classic roadster racing styled cars, yet perfectly blends the tradition of classic Italian coachwork construction. The car is still a concept, as it was just unveiled. Don’t get your hopes up just yet, as it would be some time before it hits production.

The Austrian company, Johammer, has completely re-thunk the way we ride motorcycles with this beast. Just about every aspect has been created from the ground up. We have a newly designed frame, chassis and motor, to make for a one of a kind ride. The motorcycle is powered by only electricity, making for a universally sound ride. Johammer claims that it will go roughly 120 miles with it’s electric motor. This is groundbreaking, as most other vehicles of this type are being challenged by the government (go ahead and research what has happened with Tesla Motors). Just imagine using no gasoline and not sounding like a fucking war plane riding down the road; or not, that is up to the driver.

Earlier we posted Vision the Kid & Tru’s edition of #LAAB and now we have Ronnie Vyce’s performance for “Lights and a Backdrop”. A Chicago native, Ronnie has a lot in common with US at MADE; check out the video for “Live Life Fast” and stay tuned as we bring you more of #LAAB’s 6th season.